I’ve known about Doula David for a while now…so I was super excited to read this interview he did with another doula, Sarah. I admit, when I first became a doula, it never really crossed my mind that men might be interested in doing birth work…but of course, as my friends in the LGBTQ community pointed out, there are lots of ways to create a family, and lots of room for diverse support.

And I absolutely agree. I’m especially interested in learning more about transgender health care, because I think it’s an area that is still developing, and that many people don’t know much about. As a future midwife, I would be thrilled to be able to support transgendered folks who are wanting to get pregnant–and equally–I want to be able to guide them to doulas that they feel comfortable with.

So here’s to all kinds of doulas–not just doulas of differing philosophies, but doulas of all ages, races, ethnicities, genders…there’s room for everybody, and in the end, we are all better off when pregnant people feel supported and nurtured.

Juicy excerpt:

Q: As a male Doula, you are working in a field that most think of as a female only profession. You are in a way, changing what we assume a Doula to be. Do you feel as though you will be able to help other men that have the desire to Doula?

A: Honestly, I had no idea that I would be the second known certified male doula. I assumed that it would be rare but not THIS rare. I imagined there would be some fellas out there who supported a partner through multiple births and who was such a great supporter that he became a doula. I know there are other men both trans and cis-gendered who are providing doula support and I imagine that there will be more to come.

I feel that the birth world is diverse in philosophy but lacks racial, ethnic, and cultural in addition to gender diversity. While I did not set out to break any boundaries, I do hope that if my presence has any effect in addition to simply providing doula support that it will help inspire more diversity. I hope that what we assume a doula to be will explode and that we will see doulas of all shapes, sizes, colors, languages, cultures and of course genders.